Twitter has updated its music discovery and purchasing app for iOS, Twitter #music, to version 1.1 (free). The update bring genre playlists to the program as well as its existing chart types chart types, including Superstars, Popular, Emerging, Unearthed and Hunted. Rdio users can now handle authentication within the app rather than forcing users to jump into Safari to handle logins, and the update fixes a bug that could cause tracks to be unavailable in some situations.

The program makes it easy to discover and listen to bands and artists that are trending on Twitter or selected by Twitter curators based on buzz about the artists from Twitter users. The program also allows users to follow artists they like, and see who the artist is following, and features music listening through iTunes, Rdio and Spotify.

TouchCast debuts, merges video capture with 'vApps'

TouchCast is a new app for iPad that lets users either view and interact with videos or create their own -- with the difference being that users can create "rich" video experiences that include links to Twitter or web pages that can be worked with without leaving the actual video. The app (free) can also be used as a viewer for stored videos or those on touchcast.com, but the app encourages creation of video (using a built-in teleprompter, visual and audio effects) that can be augmented with TV-like graphics that are actually touchable live links to all kinds of web content.

Examples include graphics on a video that, if touched, can launch information or other media and web elements (Facebook pages, Flickr photo galleries, stock charts, news headlines, ratings and comments, YouTube videos and more). "Looks like TV, feels like the web" says the company. The resulting vApp videos can create HD videos with augmented links and actions for viewing on iPads with the software installed or on touchcast.com using Safari or Chrome, with other platforms being announced later this year. TouchCast videos can also be seen on YouTube, but have the interactive functions disabled.

Mailbox for iOS updated, adds landscape mode

Alternative Gmail client Mailbox for iOS (free) has been updated to version 1.3.2, which adds a landscape mode for iPhone as well as Gmail "send as" alians support and the usual assortment of bug fixes. The program differs from the default Mail client by allowing users to quickly swipe emails left or right to archive them or trash them, turning the inbox into a sort of to-do list. Some emails can be "snoozed" to reappear later so that users can focus on the important ones now, and emails are threaded into a chat-like display. The program also supports push notifications for Gmail messages. The developer plans to add support for other email platforms over time.